House Draconis
House Draconis is currently considered the most influental household of Imperial Knights upon the Knight World of Adrastapol as its current ruler holds both the crown and title of High King of Adrastapol, a rank House Draconis only recently cemented in the wake of the Donatosian War. Like all of Adrastapol's remaining three Knight Houses, House Draconis has sworn fealty directly to the Imperium of Man and has thus escaped the more strict tenures of the Sidon Protocols with which the Adeptus Mechanicus ensures the loyalty of those Houses sworn directly to its service. In the wake of the dire events of the Donatosian War where fully half of the Knight Houses of Adrastapol turned Renegade, House Draconis' loyalty and that of its allies have been doubted and it is no secret that the House has now come under the close scrutiny of the Inquisition and is currently awaiting the visit of an Inquisitor to determine if it can still be trusted. This is even though the House's actions on Donatos Primus prevented that Industrial World from falling into the hands of the Archenemy. House History Notable Campaigns Notable House Draconis Knights *Blazeclaw *Draconsflame *Embersword *Fire Defiant *Firestorm *Fyreheart *Honourblaze *Iron Drake *Oath of Flame *Pyrefang Knight Gallant Notable House Draconis Personnel *High King Tolwyn Tan Draconis *High King Danial Tan Draconis *First Knight Jennika Tan Draconis *Herald Markos Dar Draconis *Gatekeeper Suset Dar Draconis *Sire Daeved Dar Draconis - Sire Daeved was one of High King Tolwyn's bodyguards during the infamous Donatosian War. Faithful to his oath, Sire Daeved stood at Tolwyn's side during the first Imperial attack of the Valle Electrum. As House Draconis and its allies pressed on the attack, Sire Daeved was the first to notice that inexplicably the Knights of House Chimaeros were falling behind the main line. Daeved's Knight, Pyrefang was amongst the first victims of House Chimaeros' first volley. Shot from behind, Pyrefang nevertheless shielded the High King but was soon crippled. *Sire Federich Dar Draconis *Sire Galharad Dar Draconis *Sire Garath Dar Draconis - The old, battle-hardened Sire Garath was an old companion of High King Tolwyn Tan Draconis who rose to become one of the High King's trusted bodyguards. *Sire Olric Dar Draconis *Sire Percivane Dar Draconis *Sire Poldred Dar Draconis *Sire Rikhard Dar Draconis *'Sire Sylvest Dar Draconis' - Sire Sylvest Dar Draconis was the pilot of the Knight armour known as Blazeclaw, one of the many Knights deployed by House Draconis during the Donatosian War. A dependable warrior, Sire Sylvest was the brother to Lady Suset who would gain much renown during this conflict. Sylvest Dar Draconis survived the initial ambush led by House Chimaeros and House Wyvorn and followed the newly elected High King in his quest for vengeance against the Adrastapolian Renegade Knights. Sadly, Sire Sylvest was killed during the infamous ambush at the Adeptus Arbites precinct fortress, his Knight proving too slow to escape the all-crushing wave of debris that killed so many of his brethren's numbers. House Strength As with the other Houses of the Adrastapolian Nobles, the numbers of House Draconis before or after the Donatosian War are difficult to judge. It is generally believed that prior to the Galhorm Crusade, House Chimaeros -- then the House of the ruling High King -- and House Draconis were more on less on equal footing with approximately 110 Knights each, which would place House Draconis in the lower secundus rank. However, in the wake of the gruesome struggle on Donatos Primus, House Draconis' numbers were severely depleted, leaving no more than 40 active suits of Knight armour remaining in their inventory. As with the other Houses, House Draconis heavily favours the Knight Paladin and its other variants, especially the Knight Errant. House Appearance House Colours House Draconis' main colours are a red in black, both being fielded equally on every Imperial Knights' armour. It is generally believed that the red is fielded as a sign of the House's close ties to the Adeptus Mechanicum, even if as an Imperium-aligned Household, House Draconis' allegiance goes firstly to the Imperium and the High Lords of Terra. Secondary colours include a fiery yellow and white, especially on banners, as well as common pyroclastic motives such as burning flames, preferably fielded on the black portions of a Knight's armour. These are believed to echo the burning heart of the volcano House Draconis has elected as it's most important domain: the Draconspire. Usually a Knight's edgings would remain silver or polished metal. House Arms As with the other Knight Houses of Adrastapol, House Draconis derives its name and emblem from the mightiest of the mythological beasts of Old Earth. The dracon -- also known as dragon, drakk or drake in other parts of the Imperium -- is a fearsome flying reptile capable of breathing fire and equipped with razor-sharp teeth and claws. House Draconis' crest fields a dracon de gueules (red dragon) on a sable field (black), with a demi-Aquila of the same colour on a bisected field of red. Signature Weapon Save perhaps for the strange chimersword, the ancestral weapon of the now deposed House Chimaeros, House Draconis' favoured weapon must surely be the most exotic weapon wielded by an Adrastapolian Noble. When deactivated, a draconblade closely resembles an ordinary broadsword of superior craftsmanship. It would only be on second glance that the observer would notice the inbuilt fuel reservoir that coats the blade in burning flames when activated. More than a mere theatrical effect, the flames of the ignited draconblade can prove deadly in combat, as even a glancing blow can cause an opponent's clothes to catch fire. To maximise the effect of this weapon, the Draconis' swordsmanship relies on large, sweeping movements that leave roaring fire-trails in the wake of the blade's pass. Most opponents, be they man or beast, instinctively recoil from the flames, leaving the Draconis Nobles to go on the offensive. The fire-trails also serve to shield the Noble by blocking the most direct routes for a counterstrike. However, a well-protected enemy may realise that the flames cannot truly harm him and use the blind spots created by the draconblade to attack from an unexpected quarter. As with most martial cultures within the Imperium, it is common for Nobles of House Draconis to name their blades in honour of previous victories. As a veteran of the Ork Wars, Herald Markos Dar Draconis named his impressive blade Orksbane, a name it carried until the weapon was broken in an Honour Duel held against Luk Kar Chimaeros, the Knight of Ashes. Sources *''Kingsblade'' (Novel) by Andy Clark *''Becoming'' (Short Story) by Andy Clark Category:D Category:Imperium Category:Imperial Walkers Category:Knight Houses Category:Walkers